Abhishek & Sweta Bachhans the kids, visits our home.

[madhav kapdi]

                My father, born 1918 joined MES [Military engineering services, also called as Money eating services] in the 30s, when British were heavily engaged with the 2nd WW. The British Indian Army was then fighting on Africa & Burma fronts also, and India was a hub for the military supplies. A post of Director General of Ordnance factories [DGOF] was created for the purpose, headed by a British General, with a HQ at Calcutta.

                The Civilian staff working in MES were hinted that they may have to join the troops in case of an emergency. My father then was having a colleague named Mr.Eapen Varghese, a Kerlite Christian who was pastering his British officers to send him abroad to join the forces.

 

                He was a bachelor then and his parents were well settled in Kerala, while my father had to look after 7 of his siblings, so Mr.Varghese was pastering his seniors [British officers] to send him abroad in place of my father. He was a very Dynamic person and as a Senior, my father advised him to leave the Government service and start a business where his Dynamism will reward him.

                Mr.Varghese listened to my father and became a successful businessman, and his both the childrens were step ahead of him in the Road construction business. His elder son even bagged the order for the Re-Alphasting of the mammoth Cochin international Airport, should speak for their business acumen. 

 

                Mr.Eapen remained very Grateful to my father and after the retirement of my father in mid 70s, offered a job for him in his company. We purchased a flat at Andheri [West] and his office was right opposite Andheri railway station. He was having flexible office hours and even the liberty to take an afternoon nap in the Directors cabin after lunch. My father was not only respected but very much trusted by Mr.Eapen and was very close to his family members as well.

 

                Eapen has secured an order for the road construction in a factory owned by Mr.Ajitabh Bachhan, the younger brother of Amitabh Bachhan and part of the transactions pertaining to this order, was in cash to be collected from Ramola, the residences of Amitabh. Ramola was the name of Ajitabhs wife and the bunglow was transferred to Ajitabh in their Divorce settlement, which he in turn be transferred to Amitabh. We were also staying at Andheri West, so this arrangement was convenient for my father.

 

                Ramola was at a distance of around 500 meters from our home, and from both of our Bed-room windows [we have purchased 2BHK flat] Ramola was very much visible to us. There was only the MHB Godown amongst us, and with the help of a Binocular, Macro movements around Ramola were clearly visible.

 

                My father was assigned to collect the payment from Amitabh Bachchan's bungalow. It was a G+2 story bungalow, with high wall fencing from all the sides and a double entry gate enclosure. You can not make an entry unless you are expected.  [Anybody recollects the late Khushwant Sing and his bunglow at Kasauli Himachal Pradesh with the plate captioned as above, just below the Door bell.?]

                My father was a regular visitor to Ramola and over a period of time, the entire staff of the bunglow was friendly with my father. Amitabh never kept his words about his appointments, and many times my father used to come home empty handed, after waiting for hours. 

 

                Ramola was on the outskirts of JVPD [Juhu Vileparle Development Scheme] right opposite to the Kanak Rele Dance Academy. If you take a right turn from Ramola, then you can enter the Juhu chaupati, and to the right of you is a bunglow of an industrialist Adi Godrej's well known for the late night parties.  The societies around have made numerous complaints to the local police stations against the Godrej. I have seen Mr.Adi Godrej, a Chairman of the Godrej empire taking a stroll on the beach without even a slipper on a number of occasions, should speak for his simplicity.

 

                The immediate neighbour of Amitabh was Mr.Anil Gupte, a Naval Architect and he was having Marine Propellor shaft manufacturing factory at MIDC Dombivali. My youngest aunt's husband late Vasant Rajadhyaksha was looking after the accounts while Mrs.Gupte the General Administration. Mr.Rajadhyaksha often used to visit our home and then Guptes home, and my father also used to join him at times. 

 

                Propeller shaft manufacturing is a low turnover but a high margin business and being a mid sized company, the entire staff was like an extended family of Guptes. My father, being a good conversationalist, was having a very good equation with the entire Gupte family, and enjoyed their hospitality on a number of occasions.

 

                The money to be collected used to be sumptuous, and at times my father used to call my younger brothers or his friends, to be on the safer side. With frequent visits, the childrens of Amitabh namely Abhishek & Sweta, who were the kids then, became very friendly with my father and being a Senior citizen, even Jaya Bhaduri also used to wish him at times. 

 

                Once Mrs.Gupte came to Amitabh's home when my father was chatting with Abhishek & Sweta and Mrs.Gupte also joined their chatting, when Jaya Bachhan appeared on the scene. Then onwards, my father used to be treated like a VIP at Ramola and at times the childrens used to take him to their own bed room and chat. Once my father told them that, we can see you from the windows of our home and that fascinated Abhishek & Sweta.

 

                Both were excited and wanted a live Demonstration. That time, Amitabh Bachchan's Bedroom was facing our society and then the entire Bandwagon went to Amitabh's bedroom and gave a ring to my mother on the landline. She was asked to look in the direction of Amitabh Bachchan's bungalow and wave. My mother then came to the window and waved in the direction of the Ramola. Abhishek & Sweta watched my mother with the help of a Binocular, and then onwards this activity became a ritual. 

 

                They used to phone my mother every now and then, and call her to the window for a wave. My mother used to take an afternoon nap and the frequent calls used to disturb her, but none wants to antagonize the small childrens. Once we told our mother to call the childrens at our home and she in turn invited them to our home. Both were very keen to meet my mother in blood & flesh, and formally took the permissions from their parents and promised to call on us.

 

                By coincidence, a swimming coach of Abhishek & Sweta Mr.Takle, was a younger brother of our immediate neighbour Mr.Rajan Takle. For coaching, childrens used to undergo training at Hotel Sun & Sand near Juhu chaupati and once along with Mr.Takle they came to our home after their coaching session. As soon as the car stopped, they ran towards our wing and checked our flat number [A/4] and rang our bell. The door was opened by my brother and they made an inquiry about my mother who was in the kitchen. 

 

                They simply ran towards the kitchen without even removing their shoes. Our kitchen doubles up as a Puja room also. Both of them hugged my mother and then it was a ordeal for my mother to take them out of the kitchen. Well, I was not a witness to any of these events but those events were narrated to me by my mother on a number of occasions.

 

 

 

 

                Junior Takle  was also a water polo coach working with the Railways and Amitabh offered him a job in a Dubai hotel, where he was having the business interests. After the visit of Abhishek & Sweta to our home and a meeting with our mother, the entire Bachhan family became very friendly to my father. Amitabh was having very high regards for our Goan hospitality, which he used to frequently enjoy during his visits for the shootings. 

 

                That was an era when the film Sholay was in full cry, with Amitabh & Dharmendra as Heroes, and Jaya Bhaduri & Hema Malini as the heroines. 

 

                Amitabh gave a Original Audio sound track cassette of Sholay to my father, and it was a prized possession of my father. He used to play the cassettes for the members of our society, in our home made [Atma Nirbhar] stereophonic sound system [Made by my younger brother late Rajeev] and for a fairly long time, and the Sholay cassette was a talk of our society.

 

                The visits of my father to Amitabh's bungalow became memorable because of Abhishek & Sweta, the kids then. The childrens are always innocent, but it is we the parents who spoil them, and then take everybody's names like Mobile, WhatsApp & friends etc. 

                Madhav Kapdi.
                [9860081951]

                P.S. : My younger brother late Rajeev Kapdi, might have taken the snaps even, but they are not readily availble. He was staying at Kandivali and the flat is closed after his demise in April 2011. I will forward the images, if i am able to lay my hands on.

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